In 2011, I was a single mom, fresh out of a homeless shelter with my daughter who was only six years old at the time. Out of desperation, I began using coupons again. I had used them when she was born to save money on diapers but had walked away from it after I burned myself out. It wasn’t long before my friends and family were asking me to teach them how to coupon as well. Before long, I took it upon myself to learn how to start a blog with Bluehost and how to make money blogging.
I didn’t know it then, but those requests would change my life in a way that I never expected. It has been almost 8 years since I first started that coupon blog and over the years a lot of things have changed. That coupon blog morphed into the blog you see in front of you. It no longer earns a few dollars a month. Instead, I am able to make money with a blog that provides an income that allows my family to live a life like I never dreamed of being able to do.
How to Start a Blog with Bluehost
I can honestly sit here and tell you that blogging saved my family. It gave me a way to provide for my daughter as a single Mom without having to pay for daycare. It has allowed me to be there over the years to watch her grow up into the amazing woman she is becoming. Now, it allows me to be there in the same way for my step-daughter. Blogging has given me a sense of worth and value like I have never known before. It has opened doors that otherwise would have never been possible for us. Now, I want to teach you how to make money blogging as well.
How to Create Your Own Website
I would love to tell you that when I was learning how to start a blog, that I had a background in tech and knew what I was doing. The sad truth is that I had absolutely zero experience with anything other than basic internet skills. Luckily, learning how to start a blog with Bluehost isn’t hard to do at all. In fact, it can be done in less than 15 minutes with zero technical experience or skills.
Learning how to start a money making blog boils down to a handful of easy steps. The biggest of the steps are having a domain name, a great blog host and the WordPress.org software. Luckily, when you sign up for a Bluehost account, you kill both of those birds with one stone so to speak.
How Much Does It Cost for Bluehost on WordPress
Blog hosting can run anywhere from free – which I would not recommend at all – to hundreds of dollars a month. I know; you’re thinking that you don’t have hundreds of dollars a month. That’s okay; neither do I. To help combat those normally high prices, I have a Bluehost coupon for you that will let you sign up for blog hosting with Bluehost for just $2.95 per month. That is actually less per month than I paid when I first started this blog on Bluehost way back in 2011 and far less than the regular price of $7.99.
When you sign up for a WordPress hosting account with Bluehost, you will be given a free domain name. This takes care of your first bird. It also avoids the need to keep track of multiple accounts where your hosting is one place and your domain is registered in another place. Bluehost also offers a free SSL certificate so your site is secure for your visitors.
How to Create a Blog Step-By-Step
To begin building a WordPress blog on Bluehost, head HERE to the Bluehost website and click the green button that says start now. If you clicked our link above, you should see the price per month listed at $2.95. It may show something else for a split second; if so, it will update to my exclusive rate once the page fully loads.
Select Your Bluehost Hosting Package
On the next page, you will need to choose which Bluehost hosting package you would like to sign up for. Each package offers different offers and bonuses so be sure to read through them carefully. Choose the option that you think is best for your new blog and click the green button to move onto the next page. For new bloggers, I recommend starting with the basic hosting plan. The plus and prime plans are great, but have additions that as a new blogger, you are unlikely to need.
Choose Your Free Domain Name
As you are signing up with Bluehost, you will have the chance to choose your free domain name. To do this, type the domain name you would like in the box where it says new domain and click next. If your domain is available, you will move on to the next step. If it is unavailable, you will need to choose a new one.
Finish the Bluehost Sign-up Process
Once you have set up your domain, you will need to decide how long you would like your hosting plan to last and any other additional options you might want. Bluehost is inexpensive web hosting, but it is pre-paid, so choose the length of your hosting term from the drop down menu. I recommend that you go with the 36-month or 60-month option to get the best price as our Bluehost coupon ($2.95/mo) is only valid for those two plans. If you choose any other length of time, your pricing will be different.
When you’ve chosen your hosting plan, enter your payment info and continue onto the next page.
Create your Bluehost Account
On the next page, set up your Bluehost password and read then accept the Bluehost terms of service. Once that is done click the “log in” button and get ready to create your WordPress blog!
Choose your WordPress theme
Once you have created your password and are logged in, it’s time to pick your theme. This is the base design for your site and how it will look until you make any changes. Pick one that you love and click the blue “start building” button to log into your new WordPress blog.
Build your WordPress blog on Bluehost
Once you are logged into your blog, choose what type of site you are building. Bluehost is one of the best hosting companies for business websites, but it also a great hosting company for personal websites as well. Each offer different options, so the system wants to know which type of site you are creating.
Manage Bluehost Options from WordPress
Once you set the type of website you’re building, you’ll be taken to a page like shown above. This page has your Bluehost options right within your WordPress dashboard. It will help you create your blogs menus, add plugins that you might need for different options and more.
When you are finished customizing your new WordPress site, click the blue launch button.
Launch your WordPress blog on Bluehost
Lastly, enter your new blog’s name and description and click the blue “next step” button. Once you click the next step button, your new blog is live and you can start learning how to make money blogging.
Congrats!
Bluehost coupon
To recap, to start a blog on Bluehost you need to:
- Sign up HERE for a Bluehost account
- Choose your domain name.
- Choose the 36 or 60-month hosting package to be able to use my exclusive Bluehost coupon for $2.95/mo.
- Install and launch your blog using the tools Bluehosts gives you.
I’m Stacy, CEO extraordinaire and 1/4 of the Six Dollar Family. I'm on a journey to become a six figure family and I would love if you came along with me! We'll kick off our shoes, sip sweet tea, eat loads of goodies, save some money and maybe even learn a thing or two along the way!
Hello there and thanks for all the helpful tips you have shared. I do have a quick question on how to make money on your blog. I’m currently on blogger.com and you have mentioned bluehost and wordpress do I need to start a new blog or can I transfer all my info to their sites? Thanks for any feedback.
Jamie, you would follow the tutorial in its entirely. From there you would export your Blogger blog and import it into WordPress. Keep in mind that your Blogger design may not work well on WordPress without being tweaked.
Okay great Thanks for your quick response!
Hi Stacy, does this all work anywhere in the world? I have just found myself leaving a violent husband, and at the moment I cant get any money. So I want to try to earn some. But my health is bad, so I have to try to find ways of earning money outside traditional jobs.
Kind regards
Deana
Deana, you can blog from anywhere that has an internet connection. Stay safe.
Stacy,
First: Love you! Love your story! Love your blog!!
Second: I signed up using a Pinterest presence that “helped” me start my blog, for roughly $7, but, I’m wondering if I actually control it??
Third: I’ve clicked two of your mentor link and they link to how to set up a lead page….?
I’m not published yet so no link to my blog..yet!
Tori, go ahead and email me at stacy at six dollar family dot com with your questions so I can help you out better.
Hi Stacey, with bluehost, can I pay monthly or is it yearly?
Hi Angie, Bluehost is paid yearly up front, but overall, it is far cheaper to pay that way than to pay a more expensive hosting company per month.
On average, how much time a week do you devote to blogging? I’m still going to be working full time and will *hopefully* start graduate school in the near future. Between work, academic pursuits, and family life, time is a very precious commodity (like it is for most of us) so I want to avoid spreading myself too thin but I think I would enjoy blogging, especially if it earns some much needed extra money 🙂
Dianna, I am a full-time blogger which means 40+ hours at this point, but when I first began, it was very part-time and I was still able to earn.
This may seem like an obvious question, but how do you make money by blogging? By selling things or just when people read your posts? Or???
Thanks!
Hi Katrina, if you sign up for my free blogging e-course, right HERE, I go into that in the course.
Wow! I have only touched the surface of trying to blog. I am definitely interested to learn more! THANK YOU SO MUCH! Blessings!
Stacy, I think I might enjoy blogging, but I have NO idea what I might write about that others would be interested in. Do I look for another way to earn?
Gloria
Hey Gloria, have you signed up for my free blogging course yet? If no, please consider it. It can help with things such as figuring out what you want to blog about.